Rhapsody of the Invisible
by Lunaera
Summary: I've always wanted to become a Pokémon Researcher. Why, then, do I find myself being stalked by some unknown entity, dragged around by my reckless best friend and trying to keep myself alive while at it?
1. Chapter 1

_Late at night, as I close my eyes and fall asleep_

_Deep in dreams I cannot escape, I call for thee_

_Erase these shadows, my beautiful starlight_

_Lead me as night grows older and I will follow you_

_My beautiful starlight, where dawn kisses my awaking eyes_

_And I bid you farewell_

_My beautiful starlight..._

* * *

><p><em>The sound of a door closing stole me from my dreams of beautiful Ponytas and fields of Sunfloras. I blinked my eyes sleepily, taking in the darkness of the living room. I had fallen asleep on the couch and mommy had covered me in a blanket before leaving for bed. What, then, had awakened me?<em>

_I let my eyes wander over to the clock, but stopped when a shadow moved at the edge of my vision. I held my breath, standing very still as I recalled mommy's stories about fearful Darkrai that would come to steal bad children away from their homes. When the shadow moved and its outline became clear with the moonlight coming from the window, I let out a relieved sigh._

"_Jimmy?" I whispered, not sure why I was doing so. Jimmy was my older brother, five years my senior at ten years of age. He turned around as he heard my voice, spotting me and seeming startled by the fact that he was not alone. I could see his amazing aquamarine eyes so unlike my own as he came closer, sitting next to me on the couch._

"_What are you doing awake at this time of the night, squirt?"_

_I ignored his question and asked instead "You're going to run away from home to start your Pokémon journey, aren't you? I heard you and daddy yelling about it today."_

_He did not try to deny it, but smiled sadly down at me. He was always so kind to me, but his own passion had always been Pokémon training, and we both knew it. I also knew how important this was to him. I rose up to kiss his cheek gently. "I will not tell mommy or daddy about this. I know that one day you'll be the strongest trainer of them all!"_

_Jimmy chuckled and I could almost feel his relief as he hugged my tiny self. "I love you, Violet. Never forget that."_

"_I love you too, brother. Be careful."_

_He only smiled as he sneaked out through the window and I watched as his shape faded away from my sight, feeling sadness bubbling up in my chest. I worked to control my tears, because I didn't want to wake up my parents and spoil this for my brother. I was missing him already, but I knew that this was for the best. I was glad that he was finally following his dreams._

_If only I had known…_

_32 years later_

The first thing that I usually did as I woke up was to look out the window. It would be a beautiful and sunny day like most are in Hoenn, the weather hot and humid not unlike a summer day near the sea, which is what it was since I lived in Lilycove.

I did not need to open my window to see that the apple that I usually left on the windowsill the previous night would have disappeared. In its place there would be a faint paw print that did not take long to disappear. It always did that, so that it would only show itself to my eyes and no one else's.

I had no way to explain this, unless, of course, I was simply delusional, which wasn't entirely unlikely. I had been playing "games" with this entity for nine years. Maybe I should consider taking permanent vacations in the closest asylum. Who knows, maybe I'd make some friends. Regardless, I was not quite ready to come to terms with the fact that I was crazy, so I stuck to the second best plausible explanation: it was a Pokémon.

Now, Pokémon have many different abilities, some of them so amazing that it is simply impossible to explain them with the aid of Science. I, future researcher Aspen Howland Pierce, am going to unravel many of these mysteries, including the one that has haunted me for nine years. How I'm going to accomplish that, I have absolutely no idea.

My attention drifted away from my internal monologue as a familiar face entered my field of vision, or rather, occupied almost all of my field of vision. The boy grinned mischievously as I backed up, cherishing my own personal space. I don't think he ever even knew the concept of personal space.

"Oi, earth to Aspen. Is anyone there?"

For how long had I been thinking to myself? Seconds, minutes? I had no idea, and as Skylar stared down at me, making me feel much like a Rattata trying to hide from a mighty Pidgeot, I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment. His grin only grew as he saw me blush, which got me blushing even harder. He laughed then, making the inner me scoff. Outside though, I only lowered my head just enough so that my blush wasn't visible.

"Stop teasing me, Skylar."

I frowned when my voice came out soft and meek, terribly unlike what I wanted it to be, or how I imagined it inside my head. I guess I just didn't have it in me to be forceful, or even demanding. That was something Skylar was good at: we evened out each other pretty well.

He stopped then, but I could still see the amusement in his expression. We had been sitting on top of a cliff overlooking the sea, not far from my house. It was kind of our spot and we'd come here often just to talk or to pass the time.

"I was saying, and I bet that you didn't hear me, that Amber's gone on her Pokémon journey. She took a boat to Petalburg and is going to start her journey there. It's pretty dumb when you realize that you might as well start your Pokémon journey here. There's a gym in Fortree and you can make your way from there. Or you can start with Mossdeep, but that's pretty tough."

I didn't know Amber very well. We had been classmates for over five years, but the only things that I knew about her was that she had red hair, blue eyes and that she didn't like math. Other than that, she was a complete mystery to me. Skylar, on the other hand, wasn't as antisocial as I was. He was very outgoing and friendly and there was just something about him that made people like him right off the bat.

I shrugged, displaying a severe case of apathy towards the situation. I didn't induce in gossip like many of my fellow colleagues, but I have the right to an opinion, even if it is ignored most of the times.

"You know how I feel about Pokémon battles, Sky. I won't ever become a Pokémon trainer if I can help it – and coordinating holds no appeal to me. Plus, look at the world around you: about half of the new trainers are attacked either by thieves or by wild Pokémon in the first week of their journey. Hoenn might not be as bad as Sinnoh or Johto, but it's not safe either."

The boy chuckled as if I had said something funny and I frowned, albeit not too heavily.

"Never say never, Az. One day we're going to have a Pokémon journey together. You'll research Pokémon while I catch them. How does that sound?"

He was right, of course. I knew it would be great to own a Pokémon of my own. Skylar already had one. After all, I could own a Pokémon and not be a trainer, which was what I was aiming for. In September (two months from now) I was going to apply for the Pokémon Research Academy and then I'd start my own adventure as a future Pokémon researcher. I'd be happy if I could become half as famous as Professor Birch. Plus, my father promised me that he'd get me a Pokémon sometime this summer.

"Reasonable, but that doesn't mean that I'll go with you."

"You hurt my feelings, beautiful Aspen. Wouldn't you like to go with me? We'd travel the earth and the seas together, you and I! We'd go to places no one has ever seen before! We'll be legends, our stories told to kids for generations to come!" Skylar stood up and I squeaked in an undignified manner as he picked me up from the ground and twirled me around as if I weighted close to nothing. "Skylaaaaaaaaar!"

We ended up panting on the ground, Skylar from having tired himself and me from almost having a panic attack. Dancing on the edge of a cliff was not on my list of favorite hobbies, nor was anything remotely dangerous for that matter.

I reached my house as the day gave way to the night. My mom and I didn't live exactly in Lilycove, but rather on the outskirts of the huge city. After I parted ways with Skylar I had to run an errand for my mother, as is usual. She works at the local Pokémon Center, healing injured Pokémon (and trainers occasionally) and making sure the Center works perfectly well. Although my father is rather wealthy, he and my mom are divorced. He sends me a monthly sum of money and we talk once every two or three months. Not a big deal.

Today my mother was working an extra night shift. Even with my father's money, sometimes things got tight, so my mother would do these night shifts and come back early in the morning, almost dead on her feet. I'd tried to help by taking a part-time job, but she had forbidden me from doing so, telling me that I should just focus on my studies. Like myself, my mother wasn't a fan of Pokémon battles – or Pokémon training in general.

"Mom, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen, honey! Did you bring what I asked for?"

I followed the smell of cooking goodness and found my mother next to the stove, making dinner. "Of course I did. You already know that."

She turned around and gave me one of her gentle, yet tired smiles. Placing the grocery bag next to the sink, I hugged her tightly and started placing the things she had asked me to buy in their rightful places in the kitchen. "You father has sent you a package. It's in the living room. I think it might be the Pokémon you asked for."

As I heard this, my movements stilled. Mother knew that I had asked father for a Pokémon and had been slightly hurt by this, but I knew that, selfish as it was, father just had more money and thus, could buy me a more expensive and rare Pokémon. She didn't like that we had to rely on him for these things and I could just hear the strain in her voice as she spoke of my father's name. Apparently, he had cheated on her with his ex. Not only that, but he had hidden the fact that he had had a child with said ex a couple of years before he met my mother. Needless to say, my mother had been, and still is, deeply hurt by that. I try not to speak of my father next to her when I can.

"Thanks, mom."

Unable to hide my excitement, I made my way over to the living room, almost running into a door while at it. Shaking my head, I looked around my living room for said package, spotting it a few seconds later. There was a card attached to it, and I read what it said, feeling my excitement grow: _'I hope you like him. Hugs, Dad.'_

I opened the package carefully, but quickly, my eyes finally resting upon the Pokéball that lay within.

"Come on, hurry up. I'm also curious."

I saw my mother lean against the doorframe, her light brown hair so like my own spilling down her shoulder in soft waves. I couldn't help the smile that touched my lips as I enlarged the Pokéball and clicked the middle button, releasing the Pokémon within. A white light spilled from the open Pokéball, morphing into an adorable blue furred kitten with large golden eyes.

Most people would love to have a Shinx, but as fate would have it, I am not one of those people. My smile fell from my face as the Shinx focused its attention on me, and I felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dropped on my tiny frame.

I heard my mother curse behind me and I couldn't agree with her more. See, there's this tiny detail that you should probably know about me: I am completely terrified of felines. I don't mind Bugs and heck, I even like Ghosts, but felines? They scare the crap out of me – and I usually am not one for cursing. When I do curse, it means that I am either very nervous or very afraid. In this case, it was unfortunately the later.

"Nice kitty…" My voice trembled as I said these words, backing away from the electric kitten gently. The Shinx seemed confused by my reaction and cocked his head to the side, starting to walk in my direction. This time I couldn't help it – I shrieked much like a crazed person and ran out the door, away from that beast. I could faintly hear my mother reassuring the kitten and felt slightly betrayed. She should have come to reassure me, not that blue ball of fur and – I shivered – claws.

I had not always been afraid of felines. It all started when I was about seven years old and had been playing with the neighbor's Meowth. In my innocence, I had decided that the cat probably needed to be washed, so I tried to give her a bath. When I tried to put the Meowth in the bathtub, the cat had rebelled, scratching my arm for me to let go of her and then scratching my legs as a sort of revenge. The wounds hadn't been deep, but they left a scar. It hadn't been terribly traumatizing, but ever since I'd been afraid of felines. I never saw myself as a courageous person, anyway.

A few minutes later, I saw my mother leaving the living room with the blue beast in her arms. I backed slightly when he passed me in the hallway and then followed her to the kitchen. She sighed as she placed the Shinx on the ground, giving him a plate of Pokémon food, which he was happy to devour. I sat on the opposite side of the table. My mother sighed, looking a lot more tired all of a sudden.

"What am I going to do about this? We can't just send him back."

I didn't completely agree with her, but I knew that if we sent him back, I might not get a new one. Plus, I didn't know if mother had enough money to buy me a Pokémon. I could just catch one around this area, but I wanted something different. I eyed the Shinx and shivered when he focused his golden eyes on me. Before he decided to walk over to me, I stood up and started busying myself with setting the table for dinner, all the while keeping an eye on the beast.

"What about trading him?" I offered, sitting down and starting to eat. Trainers often traded Pokémon in the Pokémon Center, since it was one of the few buildings that held a machine created specifically for that purpose. My mother nodded, thoughtful. "I could take him tonight with me. Many trainers would love to have a Shinx on their team. However, I can't assure you that you'll get a fair trade. Not many trainers around these parts want an untrained Shinx. Only the newbies will want him. Unless, of course, they're breeders."

Trading a valuable Shinx for a, say, rather common Poochyena wasn't what I wanted to do. As much as the blue ball of fur – which I had already dubbed Beast – frightened me, I knew that he was worth more than that. I could try and beg for father to give me another one, but I doubted that he would. So I was stuck with it. I turned my head to the side to glance at him, but he wasn't there anymore. I suddenly froze up, fearing the worse. Looking down at my feet, I saw a star tipped tail touching the skin of my leg and did my best not to scream out loud. The friggin' thing was touching me! _It_ was touching _me_!

My mother must have seen my face because she called for the Shinx and he went to her, purring softly when she scratched a place behind his ears. I breathed deeply, calming my quickly beating heart. I could sense those golden eyes on me, and a whine made me turn my head and face them. The Beast was wearing one of the most pitiful expressions I had ever seen on a Pokémon, and it made me feel like a horrible person. However, as soon as that thought approached my mind, I slapped it away. I ignored the Shinx's whines and cries, letting out a relieved breath when my mother called it back to its Pokéball. Needless to say, I kept the Pokéball far away from me as I went to sleep, hiding it among my mountains of books.

In my haste to try and forget the Shinx I had almost forgotten to sneak an apple from the kitchen. I rose in the middle of the night, making no noise so that my mother wouldn't wake up. I tiptoed back to my room, opened my window silently and placed the apple there. As I closed my window, the words to a lullaby that were taught to me by my grandma came to my lips. _"Late at night, as I close my eyes and fall asleep…"_

* * *

><p><em>Please, tell me what you think. No, there will be no legendaries in this story.<em>

_Thank you. C:_


	2. Chapter 2

The next day wasn't much better than the first. As I blinked the sleep away from my eyes, I found two pools of gold staring back at me. My first reaction was to blink – then, and only then, did I scream. The Shinx screamed with me, jumping away from the bed and hiding away inside my closet. I stopped my screaming short. Wasn't I supposed to be the one that was afraid? Why in Arceus' name had the Beast hidden itself inside _my _closet?

Much to my surprise, my mother hadn't been awakened by my screaming. She must've been really tired not to awake with that. I left her alone and ran across my room, closing the door afterwards. This way, I thought, it couldn't escape and follow me. Then I remembered that I had not checked on the apple. I was sure that it had disappeared, but I felt like I needed to check. I always did.

Frowning I made my way down to the kitchen and had a small breakfast. As I was washing the dishes, I heard the doorbell ring. _'It must be Skylar, but…_ _What the heck am I going to do with the Shinx in my room? Maybe Skylar will deal with it.' _I scoffed to myself. _'Right, like he's ever going to help me. He's just going to laugh his head off.'_

Turns out, as soon as I opened the door, the boy in question started laughing. Wondering what could have made him laugh so much, I looked at myself in the closest mirror. My complexion went from pale to light pink when I saw the mess that was my hair. Unlike my mother's tamed soft waves, my hair likes to stick out in the oddest directions when I wake up.

He only laughed harder when I told him about the Shinx. He actually went up the stairs and fetched the blue furred Beast, bringing it down with him. "I… I need to shower. Be right back!"

Before Skylar could utter a single word, I was racing past him and the Beast, quickly grabbing some clothes from the bedroom and locking myself up in the bathroom. I thought as I took my bath. There was no way to get rid of the Beast, so I needed to try to rid myself of this fear, which wasn't very easy. I would try and give it a shot, though. With a little bit of inner counseling, I convinced myself that the Shinx wasn't an evil spawn of the devil. It was a start.

I got dressed in my jean shorts, random baggy t-shirt that was way too big for me and sandals. It was a hot day, after all. When I made my way back downstairs, Skylar was feeding the Shinx conventional Pokémon food. The Beast was devouring the food, though, as if he hadn't eaten in centuries. I tiptoed my way around the Shinx and sat next to Skylar, blinking as he frowned at me.

"You know, he isn't going to eat you alive. He's actually a very gentle Pokémon. You'd like him if only you tried to."

I shook my head and Skylar scowled, his face going from friendly to scary in a matter of seconds. It always amazed me – and frightened me – that he could do that.

"If you don't like him, I'll take him! You're obviously too afraid of him to take care of him. Your mother is too busy, working like she does. The least you could do is to give him to someone else so that he'll get the attention he needs."

It was rarely, if ever, that Skylar and I got into an argument. I couldn't help but flinch when he started talking loudly, not quite yelling, but close to it. I was never good with angry people.

"Look, I can't just give him to you. I want a Pokémon, a rare Pokémon, and no one is going to trade my Shinx for something that I want. I-I…" My voice faded away and I looked at Skylar nervously. I could see him narrowing his eyes and clenching his hands. He only did that when he was really _really_ angry and I gulped silently, shying away from him and his anger. He took this opportunity to grab my wrist and to stare into my eyes as if he wanted to knock some sense into me, which he probably did. I closed them instinctively, attempting to erase the image of that angry face from my mind.

Just when I thought that he'd start yelling yet again, I heard him release a yowl of pain and felt him let go of my wrist. I opened my eyes immediately, staring as the Beast bit Skylar's leg. He let go of the boy a second after said boy released me, a growl rumbling deep in his throat.

Skylar groaned, watching as the patch of skin the Shinx had bitten turned from a nice tanned color into an ugly purple. The bite hadn't cut open the skin, but it had been pretty strong, which wasn't strong at all in Pokémon terms._ 'The Shinx really is untrained, but what if he wasn't?' _Right then another thought occurred to me. _'It's not just the Shinx. Every Pokémon is like that. They could hurt us, but they chose not to.'_

"Alright." I told Skylar, which made him look at me in surprise. I continued. "I'll try and lose this fear of felines, but I won't promise anything."

His grin was back in place right after I said those words, and it looked as if he'd forgotten about the injury altogether. "I knew you'd say that eventually!" He told me, taking my hand in his and making me stumble out of my chair. "Let's train now!"

"No, wait. I don't, I-"

But Skylar wouldn't hear any of it and picked up the Shinx in his arms (thankfully this time without being bitten), taking my hand with the other and practically dragging me out of home, despite my feeble attempts at discouraging him.

It was the thing with vacations: we had too much free time so whatever excuse I could give Skylar so he could leave me alone at home to read one of my books in peace was severely squashed and thrown out the window. Instead, he had me deep into the woods and was trying to make me battle him with my Shinx. I shook my head weakly, the protest that had been waiting to fall off my lips interrupted when he released his Pokémon, a Phanpy called Riot, and just started barking orders.

"Riot, use Tackle!"

The small elephant looked at the Shinx with doubt in his eyes, but did as his trainer told him anyway, his short stubby legs stomping on the ground as he attempted to hit the small electric kitten. My eyes widened as the battle took place, and I racked my brain for Shinx's attacks. Coming up with nothing, I watched as the kitten was thrown to the ground by a simple Tackle, getting up in a flash and looking for me, asking for guidance. I shivered when those golden eyes rested on me, and that moment of distraction was enough for Skylar to bark another order, resulting in the Shinx being hit yet again by another Tackle.

"Ah… Uh…" In my panic, I said the only attack that came to mind. "Use Tackle. Look out, behind you!"

The Beast turned around, managing to get out of Riot's third tackle. With a speed that made me gawk, the Beast tackled the Phanpy. However, too caught up in the fact that the Shinx had managed to land a blow on the Phanpy, I failed to realize that the small elephant had gotten up and was ready to counter-attack. When I came to myself, the Beast was crying out as he was hit yet again, this time by an attack called Take Down. If I remembered correctly, it was a whole lot more powerful than Tackle.

The electric kitten rose shakily to his feet. I could see that he was weakened by the constant attacks from his opponent. However, he seemed determined not to lose this one battle. His eyes flashed as he glared at Riot and I hid a shudder. _'Get a hold of yourself, Aspen! Feline or not, he needs your help out there, so help him!'_

"U-use Tackle!"

The Shinx immediately sprang forward, letting out a growl as he hit the Phanpy on his side. Much to my surprise, before Skylar could order another attack, the Shinx turned around and rammed into the Phanpy again, making the heavier Pokémon fall on his side.

It was now obvious that both Pokémon were getting tired. Much to my dismay, though, the Phanpy seemed to be far stronger than the Shinx. That didn't surprise me, seeing as he was used to training and had been training with Skylar for five months. Shinx, on the other hand, was still a newbie to battle – or so I thought, although after seeing the way he had attacked the Phanpy, I was not quite so sure.

Skylar looked at me and grinned, and I couldn't help but frown at his behavior. "Riot, use Take Down!"

This time, I would not stay idle. "Shinx, dodge and Tackle!"

However, it seemed that the Shinx was too tired to dodge the attack.

I simply watched as the Shinx fell to the ground, feeling my heart drop a little as the figure remained still. I licked my dry lips, waiting for him to move. When he didn't, I bit my lower lip, feeling shame wash over me in waves. My first Pokémon battle - with a Pokémon that I feared – and I lost it. I was too scared to even reach for the Shinx (and that made me feel even more ashamed) so I just called him back into the Pokéball. _'I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry.'_

"Bah, you suck," Skylar told me as he approached, Riot trailing after him like an obedient dog. "Why couldn't you just tell him to use a different move?"

Why couldn't I indeed? I was a Pokémon researcher, or was trying to be one, and Pokémon researchers should know these things. _'I panicked. I watched Shinx being hit – and I panicked. I really hate Pokémon battles.'_

Instead of answering him, I just told him something along the lines of "Let's go to the Pokémon Center," and turned away so that he wouldn't see a tear making its way down my face. Sometimes I really did wonder why I even tried. I was no good at Pokémon battles, and although I'd been coerced into this one, the feeling was the same.

Some nice lady took both of our Pokémon and told us to wait for a while. We sat on one of the many benches littering the Pokémon Center. There were trainers of all kinds within this building: some looked, for the lack of better words, bright and shiny. They wore new outfits and had big, eager smiles on their faces. Then there were the other trainers, the ones with worn outfits, many of them looking like they had been travelling for months, which they probably had. The smiles they had on their faces were tired and faint, as if beating gym leaders and facing the wilderness had changed something within the very core of the person. Most trainers gave up after a few weeks of starting their journeys. The life of a trainer wasn't easy and I feared, for some reason, that it would change Skylar as it had changed these people.

"Are you Pokémon trainers?"

I looked up in the voice's direction and came to face with a girl a couple of years older than myself. She had short auburn hair and brown eyes; her skin was tanned and dirty, much like the worn outfit she wore, mostly in shades of green and tan.

"Yes."

"No."

The girl looked confused and Skylar shot me an annoyed glance, but his attention was on the girl again as she spoke. "So you're a Pokémon trainer. I was hoping that you could help me with something." She motioned for one of the Pokéballs on her belt. "See, I was looking for a Phanpy and I saw that you had one. Would you like to trade it for my Bagon?"

I watched as Skylar's expression went from curious to disbelieving to amazed. I frowned right after she said those words, smelling something fishy about all of this. How did the girl know that Skylar had a Phanpy when we had come here with our Pokémon inside their Pokéballs? Unless she had been watching us from the woods, she couldn't possibly know that he had Riot.

"A Bagon, seriously? Why would you want to trade a Bagon for a simple Phanpy? You can get those back in the Safari Zone." It seemed that Skylar had also smelled something fishy about it. I knew that he wouldn't be able to trade Riot for a Dratini, if he was asked. He just loved the little elephant too much.

"Well yes, but yours is already trained, right?"

Skylar shook his head, his dark brown hair flying all over the place. "I'm sorry, but I won't trade my Phanpy for the world."

The girl nodded and walked away, and both Skylar and I watched her join a group of trainers that was strangely silent. Either that or they were talking very silently. Suddenly I heard my name being called out and walked over to the main counter, where the nurse gave me back my Shinx and Skylar's Phanpy.

I startled, deeply shocked by my own thoughts. Since when had this Beast become _my_ Shinx? I was treating it – him – as if he was already a part of my team. He couldn't, he wouldn't be. He was a feline for Arceus' sake! And I was afraid of felines!

Skylar gave me a weird look that signaled that I had drifted off once again. Sighing heavily, I made my way out of the Pokémon Center and into the warm sunlight. My stomach rumbled with hunger and I grew red with embarrassment. Skylar laughed out loud and led me to a rather nice café.

"Let your Shinx out of his Pokéball. He needs to eat too."

"Okay." I did so reluctantly, eying the small Pokémon as he materialized next to me. I couldn't help but scoot a little bit farther away from him, but he didn't seem to mind, strangely. He looked around, as if waiting for something, his tail flicking from side to side.

"This place tends to trainers and their Pokémon, so no one gets to stay hungry." He chuckled as Riot bumped into him in a friendly gesture, petting the Phanpy's head gently. I would never be able to do that with the Beast.

"That's it."

Skylar, Riot and the Shinx stared at me, confusion written all over their faces. They had no idea what had just gone through my mind. Maybe it was a mistake, but I couldn't take it back now. Even if I didn't say the name out loud, it was in my mind. I turned to the Shinx, just barely being able to withstand his golden eyes without flinching. "I'm naming you Beast."

Skylar almost chocked on the water he was drinking, taking a few deep breaths before being able to talk at all. "Wait, I thought you had named him – and please tell me I heard wrong – Beast?"

I blinked at him. "I did."

He full out laughed, making me scowl. I know that the Shinx didn't look that ferocious, but for someone that was afraid of felines, he was pretty scary. Skylar was still laughing when we got our food, calming down as he began to eat. As he was trying to put more food than he could take in his mouth, he managed to, somehow, speak.

"So, you're really naming him Beast?"

I nodded, trying to look as serious as I could. Skylar chuckled again, but instead of laughing he pointed his fork at me. "Then you're going to have to make him live up to that name. No one is going to take you seriously if you have a Shinx named Beast. On the other hand, if you had a Luxray…"

I had seen pictures of the big dark furred feline, and I shuddered just thinking about it. No, I definitely wouldn't make Beast evolve. "I'm not a trainer, and you know it, Skylar."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… You're going to be a researcher. But good researchers ought to have strong Pokémon to protect them from the wild Pokémon that inhabit the area they're studying. Weak Pokémon means that you'll have to rely on others to protect you. Wouldn't that be annoying?"

I bit my lower lip, nodding reluctantly, agreeing with him. Of course, if I wanted to explore the most dangerous territories of the whole five continents, I'd have to have strong Pokémon with me. I actually hadn't thought of that before and found myself trying to tackle the issue without using Skylar's idea. However, I came up with nothing.

As I looked at the dark brown haired boy, I could almost feel the glint of victory coming from his eyes. "Yes, you're right. Still, that doesn't mean that I'm a trainer."

"No, but it means that you have to train your Pokémon." He looked at Beast and back at me again and I sighed, succumbing to the weight of his arguments. When Skylar wanted something, he usually got it. "So, when are we going to start this journey?"

I groaned, closing my eyes and wishing I wasn't here while Skylar just snickered and finished eating.


End file.
